The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-11-09
Secretary Lamar Makes an Issue with
Land Commissioner Sparks.


WASHINGTON, Nov. 11.-Secretary Lama.
late this afternoon sent a letter to Commits.
sioner Sparks, replying to a communication
from him relative to the adjustment of the
Chicago, st. Paul, Minneapolis and 0mahs
railroad land grants.
Commissioner Sparks criticised the ruling
of Mr.. Lamar asin opposition to the previous
rulings Of himself and other secretaries and
the decisions Of the courts and in answer
that gentleman takes up the points made BY
MIR. Sparks, and refutes them, and says,
among other things:
h 1a 5 1ast received communication bear
pol4tlon from a previous date, addressed TO
me by you, and will try to answer it at once,
as the matter to which it relates has already
been unnecessarily delayed too long. Fortn.
nateiy will be able to do this more conva-
nlentiy because every point submitted haa
been the subject of reconsideration, having
been presented through the columns Of the
press, whose enterprise put them in posBee-
son o. these points before | was appraised
that the decision referred to in your letter
had incurred your disapproval and met with
your d1spleasure.
I have neither the disposition to enter
upon polemic discussions With a subordinate
nor to engage with him at his insistence in q
gladiatofial combat, especially SO in mat
ter i'll which he has received my carefully
matured instruction, in a matter Of pressing
Importance in the public administration Of
my public duties. In no other way can tho
function OF q great public department ba
successfully executed than for the chief to
command and for the subordinates to obey.
The letter concludes as follows:
You conclude your paper with another
elaborate criticism of my decision upon tina
branch of the Omaha road You claim gross
error on my part in allowing indemnity for
reservation. pintting your argument upon
the ,proviso to the granting act under consid-
Grafton BY me. 1t seems, however, to havs
escaped your attention that it was neither
my purpose nor my duty, in communicating
yon Of the correctness Of these Instruction.
by elaborate citations of all the decided cases
applicable to the subject. l had conceived IL
my duty, as head. of this department, and
havlpg kept in view my oath OF Office, to
direct you as to what duties I required You
to perform. / had also conceived it to be
equally your duty. under the same obiiga-
tons, 70 obey, my instructions or withdraw
yourself from the duty Of so doing in tn comfy
public life in civilized countries, especially
80 when ! WAS myself bnt acting in direct
conformity to the recent act of Congress,
which imposes upon me the exclusive duty
OF eaqsin.. these grants to be adjusted.
II therefore only remains for me, on this
point, to dispose OF your elementary cita.
tons OF legal maxims by informing you chat
these are, IN my opinion. entirely irrelevant.
The question he's not been, as You suppose.
SO much the legal effect Of progiso TO a
grant on grant. bit what was the meaning
OF the proviso in this particular grant I
gave you my opinion OF, that meaning, and
You have shown me no shadow OF reason for
departing from the conclusion there stated.
However we may differ in our construction
OF statutes or of decided cases, and whatever
variance may exist in our conceptions of our
public duties, | am constrained to say to
You that there is. obviously one point upon
which we are in thorough accord. Upon this
point yon have succeeded in the commune
cation before me in riYetipg on my mind O
profound conviction that the practical effect
OF your present course is thatyou cannot eg-
ecute my orders and follow nay instructions
and CO. operate il, my administration without
sufrendering opinions which should BIO con-
sclentlousiy entertained with reference to
vitality important interests. am as sincere
as you can be in the profound conviction that
my instructions to You were IN exact Accord
| ance with the law of Congress, in line with
decisions Of courts, and in support OF Che su-
premacy Of the laws and their inyioiabjlity.
1t is Impossible for me, in contravention Of
my own opinions, arrived at after long and
anxious study, to surrender them TO you.
Under these circumstances it is due TO order.
ly and decorous administration of the gov
eminent, to important public interests, and
the common cause committed in part to your
hands by the President, and to tie personal
regard 'Se should both entertain for him, that
ne shall be allowed to choose q Secretary Of
the Interior who will conform his admiais-
tration to your opinions, or to appoint
Commissioner of Public Lands who VIII ae.-
minister his bureau-in harmony Of spirit and
| concert Of action with the chief Of the depart
ment, and without compelling him to ths
necessity Of more decisive action on his part.
This alternative shall 8ubmit TO the Presi-
dent at the same time that this paper viii be